Chapter 46: Entering Class A
Chapter 46: Entering Class A
"Come, let's give it a try."
In front of the Wind-Cleaving Fist Stone Stele, Li Yun suddenly stood up and said to his younger sister.
Li Zhining's eyes flickered, and she stopped moving her small hands slightly, nodding.
In truth, she had just started to grasp a bit of True Essence and felt she had already entered the basics, but she didn't immediately get up to test herself. She was waiting.
Waiting for her brother to master it too.
Ever since she understood things, she noticed her brother becoming increasingly impatient in his cultivation.
Over time, she could vaguely sense her brother's thoughts.
Among the three siblings, both she and her older sister had higher cultivation talents. Her older sister, having been trained by a renowned master from a young age, was naturally exceptional. However, she and her brother stayed in the courtyard, often being compared and praised by the people around them.
As the eldest brother, Li Yun had the weakest cultivation talent among the three siblings. This led to him always working extra hard whenever her cultivation progress surpassed his, even practicing through the night...
"Let's go."
Li Yun patted his buttocks and stood up, scanning the area. He saw a familiar figure at another part of the Stone Stele—it was Li Yuanzhao.
But at that moment, Li Yuanzhao was completely focused on his comprehension and didn't notice him, just as he didn't realize when Li Yuanzhao had arrived.
He glanced at Li Yuanzhao's side but didn't see Li Hao, frowning slightly.
But he didn't pay much attention, coldly snorting to himself, and led his sister to the center of the square.
"If the demonstration isn't up to par, just go back and practice more", Li Yun told his sister.
Li Zhining nodded slightly.
In front of the middle-aged man, five people were currently demonstrating their skills, with a few others standing around, trying to find inspiration and learn from the demonstrations.
Suddenly, the siblings saw a familiar figure standing among them—it was Li Hao.
"Him?"
Li Zhining was puzzled.
"He's definitely here to observe and learn", Li Yun said, raising an eyebrow, a hint of a cold smile in his eyes. Although he didn't know when Li Hao arrived, he was sure it was later than they did. He himself wasn't confident in his grasp, let alone Li Hao.
Outside the demonstration area, Li Hao was quietly waiting. His extraordinary perception allowed him to notice the approaching figures behind him, but he didn't turn around or acknowledge them.
He had tried to reach out to them multiple times before, only to be met with avoidance and distance. At that point, he knew the cheerful siblings who used to run to the courtyard to listen to stories were gone.
Soon, the demonstration inside ended.
Out of the five, only three were deemed qualified. The other two still lacked the necessary fire, failing to meet the standards, with their stances and movements off.
"Let's go."
Li Yun led his sister forward, facing the middle-aged man who was a head taller than him. His expression remained proud: "We have been comprehending the Wind-Cleaving Fist."
The middle-aged man, recognizing their identities from their attire, nodded slightly with a smile: "Please demonstrate."
The siblings immediately assumed their stances and began their performance, quickly finishing the entire set of boxing techniques.
When Li Yun turned, his waist didn't move, and his full strength didn't reach his fist, causing the impact to be slightly weaker.
The middle-aged man was inwardly surprised and asked, "How long have you been comprehending this?"
"Half a day", Li Yun said calmly, but his eyes betrayed a hint of pride. He sensed a small mistake, which might affect the result, but after all, he had only comprehended it for half a day.
The original requirement for entering Class A was three days of comprehension, and he believed his progress was already quite impressive.
"Amazing!"
As Li Yun expected, the middle-aged man exclaimed, causing the young boy's lips to curl up slightly in satisfaction...
"Little girl, you have already passed the entry test."
The middle-aged man took out a Waist Badge from his waist and handed it to Li Zhining.
Li Yun was slightly stunned.
"Your boxing techniques still lack a bit of finesse, but with more practice, you'll likely master it soon", the middle-aged man said to Li Yun.
Li Yun's face turned slightly awkward, and he turned to his sister: "When did you comprehend it?"
Li Zhining put away the Waist Badge and quickly replied, "Just now."
She wasn't lying; she had indeed comprehended it not long ago, at most half an hour ago.
"Comprehending Upper-Grade Cultivation Techniques in half a day, geniuses like you are rare in Alpha Court", the middle-aged man said with a smile.
"Does that mean others can do it too?" Li Yun's expression changed slightly.
"A few did yesterday", the middle-aged man said with a smile. This batch of recruits was of high quality, slightly better than previous years.
Li Yun felt a burning sensation on his cheeks, his fists clenching unconsciously.
At this moment, the middle-aged man noticed another figure approaching and looked up to see it was someone from the Divine General Manor. He smiled and said, "Are you here to demonstrate as well?"
"Yes."
Li Hao nodded.
The siblings couldn't help but glance at Li Hao, and Li Yun's mood improved slightly, feeling a bit better knowing there was someone to share his embarrassment.
"Please", the middle-aged man gestured.
Li Hao was straightforward, raising his hands and swinging two punches. The force of his punches was like a blade, with a faint sound of iron cutting through the air.
The middle-aged man's expression changed, looking at Li Hao in shock.
Li Hao retracted his fists and said, "Is that enough?"
The middle-aged man, coming to his senses, couldn't help but ask, "Did you come yesterday?"
"Today."
"..."
The middle-aged man was momentarily stunned, a different possibility forming in his mind. This realization made him inwardly shudder, and he quickly handed over a Waist Badge to Li Hao: "This is the Alpha Court Waist Badge."
The Waist Badge was white, with black characters: Class A.
Li Hao took it, glanced at it, and casually put it away, thanking the man before turning to leave, leaving behind two pairs of slightly stunned eyes.
“Him, he passed too?”
Only after Li Hao had walked far away did Li Yun finally muster the courage to speak.
The middle-aged man retracted his gaze and glanced at him, nodding. "His Wind-Cleaving Fist is at least at the Agile level, perhaps even... Perfection."
Li Hao's demonstration was too brief for him to make a precise judgment.
But there was no doubt that he had definitely reached the Beginner level.
“Agile? How is that possible!” Li Yun’s eyes widened.
He knew that Li Hao had only joined them today, arriving later than he did. How could he have grasped the Agile level in such a short time?!
Even his sister had only just entered the Beginner level!
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but turn around, looking at that figure with disbelief.
Li Zhining stood there, her mind filled with the praise some of the adults in the courtyard had given Li Hao:
"That child is truly smart."
"Yes, very early to show wisdom. I've never seen a child so intelligent; he understands everything at a glance."
"Pity he can only practice Body Cultivation; otherwise, such a sharp mind would definitely make him a top talent in the future."
Yes... The adults had only mentioned his low cultivation potential, but no one had ever said he wasn’t smart.
The little girl bit her lip lightly and clenched the Waist Badge in her hand.
...
...
“I’m back.”
Li Hao jogged quickly back to the two elders.
Seeing the Class A Waist Badge in his hand, both of them understood. Shen Yunqing smiled and said, “Congratulations.”
“You’re too kind, seniors.” Li Hao smiled slightly, then said, “Shall we... play another round?”
This kid... The two elders exchanged a glance, speechless. How did it feel like this kid was more addicted to chess than they were?
“Fine, another round.” Zhao Zongyuan had already reviewed the previous game and recognized his mistakes, now feeling the courage to challenge again.
Li Hao’s heart leaped with joy, and he immediately sat down. “Seniors, please.”
The two began their battle on the Chess Board once more.
To avoid the other side giving up, Li Hao didn’t play too aggressively, just slowly pulling ahead and winning by a narrow margin.
This created a rather amusing scene in the square. While other disciples were diligently practicing and refining their techniques in front of the Stone Steles, a young boy was engaged in a chess match with the two elders. Occasionally, Zhao Zongyuan’s irritated shouts and Shen Yunqing’s hearty laughter would draw the attention of the surrounding disciples.
Seeing this peculiar sight, many of them looked slightly puzzled.
“Kid, did you start playing chess in the womb?”
Frustrated by his losses, Zhao Zongyuan was ready to throw the pieces.
Li Hao just smiled.
Shen Yunqing asked curiously, “Your Go skills must have taken a lot of effort. How do you usually practice?”
This is how I practice... Li Hao thought to himself but only gave a silly smile on the surface.
While playing chess, the two elders chatted with Li Hao about some matters within the academy.
“Kid, do you know that a Prince entered the academy yesterday and was also placed in Class A? They say he mastered a Cultivation Technique in just one hour.”
“The Nangong Family’s girl is also here, and her talent is quite formidable. They say she isn’t even the strongest of her generation in her family.”
“Kid, these are your future opponents in the Alpha Court. You should be mindful of them.”
Faced with the elders' concern, Li Hao’s head throbbed as he replied, “Can’t we just focus on the chess?”
“...”
The two elders stared at him.
They were fond of this kid, which was why they had taken the trouble to inform him, and now he didn’t even want to listen?
Chess, chess, so you came to Tan Palace Academy just to play chess?
Frustrated, Zhao Zongyuan became even more serious, focusing intently, but after a while, his face turned ashen as he lost again by a narrow margin...
As the sun began to set, Li Hao, deeply engrossed in the game, suddenly heard a voice beside him.
“Brother Hao?”
Li Hao turned to see Li Yuanzhao, who was looking at him cautiously.
“Hmm?”
“I got my Waist Badge,” Li Yuanzhao said. They had arrived late, and he had spent half the day in contemplation.
“Oh.” Li Hao nodded, not finding it surprising. This kid’s talent was on par with Li Zhining’s. Though he looked like a tough little tiger, his small eyes were full of shrewdness, and he was very smart.
“Um... They’re waiting for us at the foot of the mountain. Brother Hao, what do you think...”
“Let them go back first. We’ll return later.” Li Hao said.
The two elders, however, looked grim. Was this kid addicted to winning?
“No, no more.” Zhao Zongyuan waved his hand. “It’s getting late. You should go back.”
“No problem, I can see.”
“You kid...” The two elders were at a loss, Shen Yunqing saying, “That’s enough for today. If you want to play chess, we can have another match after the academy starts.”
Li Hao wanted to continue, but seeing that the two elders had lost their enthusiasm, he didn’t push it. “Alright, thank you, seniors, for your hospitality today.”
With that, he placed the final piece, securing his victory in the game.
Seeing the experience points he had earned, Li Hao smiled and stood up, bowing to the two elders before slowly turning to leave with Li Yuanzhao.
“Divine General Manor has such a kid, truly strange.” The two elders watched the two boys walk away, their expressions odd. They exchanged a glance and both shook their heads, smiling.
(End of Chapter)
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